Mosul, Aleppo to 'set the course of anti-Islamic State fight'

ANKARA: Iraq's Mosul and Syria's Aleppo are the two cities which will set the future course of the fight against Islamic State, according to Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus on Wednesday. 
"Turkey's thesis is that Mosul is one of the key cities in the fight against IS.
"Furthermore, Mosul's situation and how its future is going to be shaped is crutial for the establishment of a permanent peace in the region," Kurtulmus told reporters in Ankara.
"Same for Aleppo. Aleppo and Mosul are the two cities which will set the future course of the fight against IS," he added.
The minister went on to say that avoiding sectarian fights in Mosul was one of Turkey's red lines.
"One of the red lines regarding Mosul is to stay away from any developments which might trigger a new sectarian conflict. 
"As the region is cleared of IS, it is important that no other terrorist organization or armed group is allowed to enter. I want to underline that this is a vital matter," he said.
The Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces launched a much-awaited offensive late on October 16 to retake Mosul -- the last IS stronghold in northern Iraq, which was overrun by the terrorist group in 2014.
In mid-2014, IS captured Mosul before overrunning large swathes of territory in the country’s northern and western regions.
Recent months have seen the Iraqi army, backed by local allies on the ground and a U.S.-led air coalition, retake much of the territory.
Nevertheless, the terrorist group remains in control of several parts of the country, including Mosul.
In recent weeks, the army and its allies have staged a gradual advance on the city, which officials in Baghdad have vowed to recapture by year’s end.